Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons

Abstract Lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) is a promising cathode material for lithium–ion batteries due to its enhanced safety and structural stability. However, its ionic conductivity is limited by the 1D channels within its olivine crystal structure. In this study, we investigate the influe...

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Main Authors: Hyungju Oh, Chanwoo Noh, A Young Cho, Jong Chan Kim, Noma Kim, Kyoung Hoon Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13769-8
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author Hyungju Oh
Chanwoo Noh
A Young Cho
Jong Chan Kim
Noma Kim
Kyoung Hoon Kim
author_facet Hyungju Oh
Chanwoo Noh
A Young Cho
Jong Chan Kim
Noma Kim
Kyoung Hoon Kim
author_sort Hyungju Oh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) is a promising cathode material for lithium–ion batteries due to its enhanced safety and structural stability. However, its ionic conductivity is limited by the 1D channels within its olivine crystal structure. In this study, we investigate the influence of Mn/Fe atomic configurations on LMFP’s ionic conductivity by integrating ab initio density-functional theory (DFT) calculations with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using graph neural network-based interatomic potentials. Our results show that variations in the Mn/Fe environment around Li ions significantly affect the Li-ion migration barrier and transport mechanisms. Specifically, asymmetric Mn/Fe configurations break Li-site degeneracy and induce a low-energy optical (LEO) phonon mode below 50 cm− 1, enhancing ionic conductivity. This study demonstrates that LMFP’s ionic conductivity can be improved by more than 60% when this LEO phonon mode is present. These findings highlight the potential to optimize LMFP cathode performance by employing controlled synthesis methods that exploit favorable atomic configurations, laying the groundwork for accelerating the development of safer and more efficient lithium–ion batteries.
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spelling doaj-art-a3ebdb43ce014edea3140d749cacbcdc2025-08-20T03:42:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-011511910.1038/s41598-025-13769-8Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phononsHyungju Oh0Chanwoo Noh1A Young Cho2Jong Chan Kim3Noma Kim4Kyoung Hoon Kim5Platform Technology Research Center, LG ChemPlatform Technology Research Center, LG ChemPlatform Technology Research Center, LG ChemPlatform Technology Research Center, LG ChemPlatform Technology Research Center, LG ChemPlatform Technology Research Center, LG ChemAbstract Lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) is a promising cathode material for lithium–ion batteries due to its enhanced safety and structural stability. However, its ionic conductivity is limited by the 1D channels within its olivine crystal structure. In this study, we investigate the influence of Mn/Fe atomic configurations on LMFP’s ionic conductivity by integrating ab initio density-functional theory (DFT) calculations with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using graph neural network-based interatomic potentials. Our results show that variations in the Mn/Fe environment around Li ions significantly affect the Li-ion migration barrier and transport mechanisms. Specifically, asymmetric Mn/Fe configurations break Li-site degeneracy and induce a low-energy optical (LEO) phonon mode below 50 cm− 1, enhancing ionic conductivity. This study demonstrates that LMFP’s ionic conductivity can be improved by more than 60% when this LEO phonon mode is present. These findings highlight the potential to optimize LMFP cathode performance by employing controlled synthesis methods that exploit favorable atomic configurations, laying the groundwork for accelerating the development of safer and more efficient lithium–ion batteries.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13769-8
spellingShingle Hyungju Oh
Chanwoo Noh
A Young Cho
Jong Chan Kim
Noma Kim
Kyoung Hoon Kim
Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
Scientific Reports
title Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
title_full Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
title_fullStr Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
title_short Enhancing 1D ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low-energy optical phonons
title_sort enhancing 1d ionic conductivity in lithium manganese iron phosphate with low energy optical phonons
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13769-8
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AT jongchankim enhancing1dionicconductivityinlithiummanganeseironphosphatewithlowenergyopticalphonons
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